Gadget of the Week: Apple iPad

WHY COMPLEX IS CO-SIGNING: Apple hasn't had such a polarizing product since the Power Mac G4 Cube. That in of itself is exciting. When Steve Jobs & Co. announced the iPad back in January, people instantly decried as it as a useless product that hinted to the end of Apple's stranglehold on the consumer electronics industry. Others called it nothing short of a stroke of a genius; a look to the future of computing and an answer the to the problem plaguing many industries like newspaper, magazine and book publishing. Well, here's the deal: It's not useless. We can already picture ourselves using it. If anything, it shows Apple's relentless pursuit of whatever's next. This isn't the first tablet device to hit the market. Companies have been making them for years, but as usual, Apple came through with a new take on it to suit the needs of the times. Is it going to change the way content—like magazines, newspapers and books—is delivered and consumed? That remains to be seen. But if any product can do kick off the revolution, it's the iPad. All that said, is it worth the $400? Read on and decide for yourself...

DOPE!:
• It's faster than the iPhone. Yeah, it looks just like a huge iPod Touch and iPhone, but it feels twice as fast. Apps open instantly. Scrolling is effortless. Graphically intensive web pages load quickly. This may be due to the 1Ghz A4 processor lodged inside.
• Crystal clear display. The 9.7" LED-backlit glossy screen, with its 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch, is nothing short of amazing.
• Best web browsing experience we've come across. When you load a web page, it takes over the entire device, allowing you to take interact with sites like never before.
• Nice and slim. The iPad only weighs 1.5 lbs. It's much heavier than an e-reader like the Amazon Kindle, but the feel is one of substance rather than heft. It feels like a $500 product touchscreen device should feel. It's 9.56 inches tall, 7.47 inches wide and only half an inch thick, making it very easy to tote around.
• The number of native iPad apps are limited, but the experience of using an app on an iPad compared to the tiny iPhone is incomparable. The ones ported from the iPhone are blurry, but the native ones are beautiful and robust.
• Many storage options. You can't upgrade the memory in the iPad, but Apple does give you a lot of options when it comes to memory. Storage ranges from 16 gb to 64 gb of solid state memory. As the iPad is primarily for consuming media, we say get as much memory as you can.
• 10 hour battery life. Despite it's bright screen, the iPad's battery can run for 10 hrs with WiFi running. That's pretty damn good, as we expect most users to use the internet while they use the iPad.

NOT SO DOPE:
• Despite the oleophobic coating, finger prints still seem to stick to the screen.
• There's no camera. If you want to vid chat from your couch, you better grab your netbook.
• No flash. Apple is relying on the HTML 5 standard. Some websites have made the move, but a lot, like Hulu haven't. And we suspect it's going to be a while before they do.
• No multi-tasking. Just like with the iPhone, you can only use one app at a time.
• No USB. So you can't even attach the accessories you want. Although, we're sure a bunch of companies will make accessories you can use through the Apple port.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------• CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE COMPLEX TECHNOLOGY POSTS...